Invalid-bed.



PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

M. DE L. STOW.

INVALID BED.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.1B. 1.905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED OCT. 8, 1905.

M. DE L. STOW.

INVALID BED.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MARGUERITE DE LOCHE STOW, OF CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY.

INVALID-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed March 18, 1905. Serial No. 250,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARGUERITE DE Loom] S'row, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, but now of Caldwell, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Invalid-Beds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toan improvement in invalid-beds and in mattresses designed for use in connection therewith. Such mattresses have previous to my invention been provided with means for securing drainage; but these have been open to criticism for numerous reasons, such as want of flexibility, impossibility of reversal, and difficulty of manipulation. This device is intended to remedy the defects mentioned and to be in other respects especially suited to the use for which it is designed. Even where devices having the same general purpose have been previously employed patients have often been subjected to suffering and sometimes to positive injury through the lack of prompt service by attendants where the devices in use were not such as to be readily manipulated by the patient himself.

lVith this purpose in view my invention consists in an invalid-bed and mattress therefor hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out, and defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view on the line 1 1, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arr0wsa'. e. toward the head of the bedcertain portions of the bed and the removable hood and stopper for the basin being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 1 1, Fig. 3, looking toward the foot of the bed and showing another form of drainage-receptacle. Fig. 3 is a plan'view of a sectional mattress, one of whose sections is provided with drainage apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Figs. 4c and 5 are detail perspective views showing portions of the mattressrims, the basin, hood, and locking means.

1 is a reversible mattress, and 2 a section thereof, having, preferably in its center, a hole surrounded at its top and bottom by rims or collars 3, of metal or other suitable material, and provided each with a series of rounded tabs 4, preferably integral therewith. Between the corresponding tabs of the upper and lower mattress-rims are located spiral springs 5, firmly held in position by the bending inward of the edges of the tabs to form retaining-flanges 6, within which the ends of the springs fit. These springs support said rims yieldingly. Other means for permanently positioning the springs 'will suggest themselves; but the means illustrated are simple and most effective.

The material 7, as hair, within the mattress is properly disposed about the said springs and the edge of the hole, which is closed by ticking or other suitable mattress-covering material 8, firmly sewed in position, as shown and hereinafter described.

The mattress rims or collars 3 are bent at 9 so as to present an inner supporting edge 10 in a plane slightly within that of the rest of basin hereinafter referred to so that its rim shall be in the same plane as that of the main body of the mattress-rim. This prevents the basin and locking means hereinafter described from projecting sufiiciently to make the occupant of the bed uncomfortable, and has another function, to be mentioned shortly. In each of these bends 9 is a series of elongated holes or slots 11, and in the body of each rim 3 is a series of holes 12, preferably round. This construction is utilized in fastening the mattresscovering 13 to the mattress-rims 3 in the following manner: The covering 13 is cut radially of the hole opposite each end of each slot 11, so as to permit portions 14: thereof to be drawn through the slots. The portions between the slots and, indeed, all edges are turned under to present a neat appearance and avoid fraying. The piece 8 of material lining the hole has its edges 15 turned in, and the portions of these edges opposite the portions let of the mattress-covering, which, as above described, are drawn through the elongated holes 11, are sewed together, as shown at 16. In this connection it is to be noted that the bending inward of the mattress-rims prevents the material within the mattress from working through between the lining of the hole and the rim. The mattress-covering adjacent to the hole is then sewed firmly to the rims by means of the series of holes 12. In this manner the rims and springs are firmly held in position so that they are a part of the mattress and are covered to such an extent and in such a manner that they do not make it unsightly or uncomfortable. A removable basin 17, which is shown as round, but may be oval or of any other desired shape to fit the hole, is provided with a horizontal rim 18, which rests on the edge 10 of one of the mattress-rims, and is thus supported within the hole. This basin has a drainage-opening 19, which may have, as shown, the shape of a funnel. This rather polnted shape is convenient, since it avoids the necessity of cutting a hole through the.

wire springs 20 of'the bed, which may instead be spread apart by a suitable tool and the point of the funnel inserted. The basin is provided with a pair of rings 21, whereby it may be conveniently lifted. It will be obvious that the mattress-section may be reversed and the basin supported upon either one of the two mattress-rims. This is a great convenience and is practically indispensable to the commercial success of the device, since it greatly prolongs the life of the mattress.

Each of the mattress-rim edges 10 is provided toward the foot of the bed with a pair of suitably-spaced buttons 22, which by coacting with arc-shaped keyhole-slots 23 in the basin-rim 18 serve to hold the basin firmly but removably in position. The basin, though removable, is designed to be retained normally in place, so that it may be used whenever convenient. When not actually in use, however, it is filled by a pad or plug 24, having a suitable handle 25 sewed thereto, so that it may be readily removed by the patient. The curved shape of the basin and plug make the removal of the latter easy, and ease of removal may be still further promoted by making the basin rather shallow.

A removable hood 26, having for convenience a handle 27 at its back, is provided for attachment to the basin where, as in the use of a douche, the wetting of the mattress is to be guarded against. This hood is preferably of substantially the shape shown in the drawings, being higher in the middle, which is toward the foot of the bed, and sloping down forwardly to the basin-rim. The hood is provided with a horizontal flange 28, having keyhole-slots 29 identical in form and position with the slots 23 already described and designed to coact with the buttons 22, above referred to as being located on the mattress-rim edges 10. This makes it possible to lock the hood removably in position upon the basin-rim 18 in the same manner as the basin itself is locked on the edge 10 of the mattress-rim 3. It will be understood that the shanks of the buttons are of sufficient height to receive both the basin-rim and the hood-flange; but as the edge 10 of the mattress-rim by reason of the bend 9 is below the surface of the mattress and as the basin-rim 18 and hood-flange 28 are not thick the buttons do not project unduly and are not found to be asource of inconvenience. A stopper 30 for the basin may be provided, so that it may be used as a wash-pan, but in practice the passage from the basin is usually open, and a receptacle 31 is placed thereunder.

In Fig. 1 is shown a supporting-strip 32, suitably of metal, extending crosswise of the bed beneath the hole in the mattress. This strip, which is supported in any suitable manner from the side frames 33 of the bed, but conveniently, as shown, serves to support the drainage-receptacle, the plug, the hood, and the stopper when these are notin use and, indeed, any other articles which it is desired to place where they are not in the way, but are readily accessible when occasion for their use arises.

The modification of the drainage-receptacle shown in Fig. 2 may be used with or without the strip 32 and is constructed as follows: The drainage-receptacle 34C is provided with a cover 35, suitably an ordinary rather shallow tin pan--say two inches deep which is provided at its center with a vertical tube 36, slightly larger than the tube 19 of the basin, which is designed to have vertical movement therein. The said cover or pan fits easily over the top of the receptacle and by moving with relation thereto provides the drainage arrangements with the necessary flexibility without uncovering the receptacle. It will be seen that this construction avoids the necessity for making the tube on the cover very much larger than the drainage-pipe of the basin, which is obviously objectionable. In practice the basin-pipe usually projects about an inch below the cover of the drainage-receptacle; but this is of course a minor matter, which may be varied as may seem desirable. If desired, the tube 36 may be very short and an additional loose tube covering tube 36 and part of tube 19 may be employed.

The operation of the device will be obvious from the above description in connection with the drawings, so that a particular statement thereof is not deemed necessary.

It will be apparent that the device is flexible, reversible, simple, and neat in appearance and that it is a great boon to invalids, enabling them to care for themselves and rendering them to a large extent independent of attendants.

What I claim as new is 1. In a device of the character described, a mattress having a hole therein, a supportingframe incorporated in said mattress, resilient means for supporting said frame, and a separable vessel to be sustained by said frame.

2. In combination, a mattress having a hole therethrough, a plate in said mattress adjacent said hole, a vessel, and means for releasably locking said vessel to said plate.

3. In a device of the character described, a mattress having supporting means incorporated therein, a vessel, and means for releasably locking said supporting means and vessel together.

1. In a device of the character described, a mattress, flexible supporting means incorpo rated in said mattress and covered, except for a projecting edge, by the cover of said mattress, and a vessel resting on said projecting edge.

5. In a device of the character described, a reversible mattress having a hole therethrough, a supporting-frame at each side of said mattress adjacent said hole, and a removable vessel adapted to be sustained by whichever of the said supporting-frames is uppermost.

6. In a device of the character described, a mattress, supporting means at each side of said mattress, a vessel, and means for locking the same in position on either of saidsupporting means.

7. A mattress having a hole therethrough, a spring-sustained support incorporated in said mattress adjacent said hole, and a vessel upheld in said hole by said support.

8. In a device of the character described, a mattress, a flexibly sustained supportingframe incorporated therein, a removable vessel, and means for locking the same to the supporting means.

9. In an invalid-bed, a mattress having a hole therein, rims having tabs or extensions and surrounding said hole at each side of said mattress, means -coacting with said tabs to sustain the rims, and a vessel capable of being supported on either of said mattress-rims.

10. In a device of the character described, a mattress, a rim on each side thereof provided with tabs or extensions having inturned outer flanges, and spiral springs coacting with opposed tabs of the opposite rims and held in place by said inturned flanges.

11. In invalid-beds, a reversible mattress having a hole therethrough, a rim surrounding the edge of the hole at each side of the mattress, said rims having correspondinglylocated tabs, springs located between the corresponding tabs of the opposite rims so as to support both yieldingly, and means to retain the springs in position.

12. In a device of the character described, a rim provided with tabs or extensions, springs supporting said tabs, a drainage vessel removably supported by said rim, and a drainage -receptacle suitably located below the vessel.

13. In a device of the character described, a mattress, supporting means incorporated therein, a vessel, a hood, and locking devices to fasten releasably together the last three elements.

14. In an invalid-bed, supporting means incorporated in the mattress thereof, a drainage vessel supported thereby, a separable protecting-hood, and means for locking the same in position on the vessel.

15. In a device of the character described, a mattress having a hole therethrough, supporting means surrounding said hole, a vessel, coacting locking devices on said supporting means and vessel to hold them releasably together, and a hood having locking means capable of cooperating with the locking devices on the supporting means to lock the hood releasably to the vessel.

16. In invalid-beds, a reversible mattress having a hole therethrough, a rim surrounding the edge of the hole at each side of the mattress, said rims having correspondinglylocated tabs, springs placed between the corresponding tabs of the opposed rims so as to support both yieldingly and means to retain the springs in position, a basin, and means to lock the same releasably to either of said rims.

17. In a device of the character described, a mattress having a hole therethrough, supporting means adjacent to said hole, a drainage vessel thereon, a drainage-receptacle, and a transverse bar supported by the side frames of the bed for upholding the said receptacle.

18. In a device of the character described, a mattress having a hole therethrough, and a supporting-rim incorporated therein, said rim being bent on the line of the edge of the hole so as to prevent the working out of mattress material at the edge of the hole and to present an inner projecting edge lying in a plane within that of the face of the mattress.

19. In a device of the character described, a mattress having incorporated therein a spring-supported frame, a vessel, and means for releasably locking said supporting means and vessel together.

20. In a device of the character described, a mattress provided with a suitable covering and having a hole therethrough, said hole having a lining, and a supporting-rim surrounding said hole and having a series of elongated holes therein and another series of holes therein to permit the mattress-covering and the rim to be secured to each other and to the lining of the hole.

21. A mattress, a frame incorporated therein at each side thereof, and elastic means between said frames and acting against both frames.

22. In a device of the character described, a mattress, a frame, and springs incorporated in said mattress and supporting said frame.

23. In a device of the character described, a mattress, a rim incorporated'in said mattress at each side thereof, and elastic means acting against said rims and tending to force them outward.

24. In a device of the character described, a mattress, a rim incorporated in said mattress at each side thereof, elastic means acting against said rims and tending to force them outward, locking means on each of said rims, and a vessel capable of cooperation with the locking means of either of said rims.

25. In a device of the character described, a mattress having a hole therein, a rim surrounding said hole at each side of said mattress, and yielding means tending to force said rims away from each other.

26. In a device of the character described, a mattress having incorporated therein supporting means, headed locking-pins on said supporting means, a vessel having slots to co- I operate with said pins to releasably lock said operate with said pins, and a hood for said vessel also having a flange provided with slots to cooperate with said pins, said flanges together when in locked position taking up the space between the plate and the heads of the pins to lock the parts releasably together.

29. In an invalidbed, a frame incorporated in the mattress thereof, a vessel supported thereby, a separable protectinghood, and means on the frame cooperating with the hood to lock the same in position on the vessel.

Signed by me at Caldwell, New Jersey, this 15th day of March, 1905.

MARGUERITE DE LOGHE STOW. Witnesses:

SARAH G. KENNY, ELEANOR D. MATHEWS. 

